Story 163: "China" by Punk Maneuverability

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Punk Maneuverability is one of the X-Files fandom's long-time authors. A quick scroll of her Gossamer page tells me she did most of her writing for this fandom in 1997, but she continued to write XF fic for close to a decade. China, posted in 2006, is one of the last XF fics she's posted to date.

It's a short AU in which Scully has made a drastic change in her life, one that has left both she and Mulder's lives torn asunder. I don't want to say too much more about the plot, because part of what makes this fic intriguing is the way the reader doesn't immediately know exactly what's going on. I picked this fic because, though they are very different fics, the central tension of China is very similar to that of last week's rec: Scully's discontent and her desire for a "normal life".

China by Punk M

You can also find the author at runpunkrun, and you can find our recommendation page over here.

Comments

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

I think you're onto something about comedy and pathos (I also thought of Lysandra and Livia Balaban). Writers who can do good comedy seem to be able to turn their hands to any other category particularly well.

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

Also David Hearne.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

There's maybe amanda.

You know that line from some famous old actor: "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."